Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1887-03-31
WESTERN.

Dispatches from the West report
that great suffering and considerable loss OF
life have been entailed by the flood in the Up
per Missouri River. A Bismarck special says:
Reports from remote districts intensity the
stories OF suffering and loss OF life. A man was
seen riding down the river on a cake OF ice,
frantically calling for help, but II was impossi-
Iivonia after being on the roofs Of
their houses for twenty-four hours, walk
ed two miles to the shore ON a thin crust OF
ice that had formed during their imprisonment.
Fort Lincoln officers here believe that the peo-
pie on the lowlands opposite the post perished
in the flood 1t is believed at Bowdle, ABOVE
drowned The family of Garrett Barry barely
escaped with their lives, and lost cattle ana
household effects. The steamer Gen. Tompkins
is in the ice, total wreck.
A frame clearinghouse at the Colby
mine near Bessemer, Mich, was destroyed
by fire, and twelve men persisted in the flames.
or nine others, who escaped by Jumping from
windows, q half dozen were seriously injured.
A dispatch from Bessemer, Mich, gives the
following particulars of the shocking affair:
The building was a two-story frame structure
the first floor containing sitting room, dining
room, kitchen, and two bedrooms, occupied by
Frank Miller and his wife, in management, and
two hired girls. The second floor contained
i've sleeping-rooms, which were occupied by
twenty-one men. At about o'clock a. M,
Miller was aroused by his wife, and the two, to-
gether with the two girls in the next room,
barely escaped In their night clothes. Several
men leaped from the windows OF the second
story, three Of them receiving serious injuries.
The complete destruction of the building was
the work of but few minutes after the alarm
was given. The village has no IRE department,
and the building burned without possibility OF
help. As soon the debris could be removed
the work OF exhuming the victims began.
Twelve bodies were found, all charred beyond
NIA lfok sN 0WNn fnn
names were ascertained as follows: James
Ryan, John Carney, John Baal, William
Williams j. g s,' T. B Bs,,;US, Henry GSyy
Lyons, John Sutton, unknown man.
The failure to escape can only be attributed
to suffocation. and most Of the victims probably
persisted in their BEDS The coroner's jury ex-
onerate all parties concerned from blame. No
clew to the origin of the fire could be obtained.
James Lynch, one OF the occupants Of the place,
says that there were four other persons in the
same room with him. He was awakened by a
roommate clambering over him toward the win
dow. The room was full Of smoke and flame at
the time, and he barely succeeded in breaking
open n window, and making his escape. He
jumped to the ground, and received but slight
injuries.
A Coroner's jury exonerated every
one connected with the Bessemer CMch.
boarding house, by the burning Of which
twelve human lives were sacrificed. Frank
Miller, the manager, was the only one Of the
persons who escaped from the building tina
was examined. He explained the arrange
ments of rooms, stoves, lamps, etc. A fire wal
kept in the front sitting-room until after mid
night when he retired Two boarders haC
just come in and were preparing to retire
Both Of them were drunk. One Of them wa
o newcomer, who persisted. Mr.. Miller ha'
no notion how the fire originated, but though
that it started in the front part Of the building
as his room in the back of the building wa
the last to be entered by the flames. H
thought that those who persisted must hav
been suffocated in their beds. They coul
have escaped through the windows.